A once-popular restaurant chain in China has lost millions of pounds in market value following an unusual complaint from a mortified customer.

Xiabu Xiabu, which has restaurants across China’s Shandong province, has lost an estimated £145 million after it served a pregnant woman a soup containing one very furry unwanted ingredient.

According to a report in Sky News, the mother-to-be, who was dining at a Xiabu Xiabu restaurant in Weifang, was horrified to find a boiled rat lurking in her hotpot.

The disgruntled customer, who fished out the furry mammal using a pair of chopsticks, took photos and videos as proof prior to issuing a complaint to the restaurant’s manager.

Naturally, the content quickly ended up being circulated across social media, giving the restaurant chain a bad name and pushing it’s nationwide sales down by a shocking 12 per cent.

Some might see this as unfair, but reports suggest that the restaurant’s owners were not exactly very forgiving when the unnamed customer and her husband approached them to issue a complaint beforehand.

According to reports, instead of a discount on their final bill, an apology, or an offer for the pregnant lady to undertake a medical check-up, the outlet effectively tried to haggle with the couple, making cash offers in an attempt to keep them quiet.